North Liberty Library has been selected as one of 240 libraries to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities. As part of the initiative, North Liberty Library has been granted $20,000 by the American Library Association to improve the accessibility of the facility.

In addition to installing automatic restroom door openers and new carpets to reduce tripping, the library now has vision assistive resources. Full-page magnifiers and reading glasses of five different strengths are available at the front desk for public use in the facility. The magazine lounge is also now equipped with magnifying lamps to help brighten and enlarge text.

The library is grateful to be able to provide these resources to make the facility and our materials more accessible to all patrons.

Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to come together and discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.